Guest View: In this together: Newport’s future age is now

Undeniably, Newport is an “it” place and remains inextricably linked to society, splendor, sailing, music and summertime. The Vanderbilts and the Astors built mansions. Frederic Douglass lectured. Ike golfed. JFK and Jackie married. Louis Armstrong played his trumpet. Ted Turner won the America’s Cup. And Bob Dylan shocked a folk festival audience when he pulled out and played his electric guitar. This small city in the smallest American statecontinues to attract travelers from all over the world, who are drawn by its history and glamor.

HBO’s hit series The Gilded Age shines a new spotlight on the City by the Sea. Newport features prominently in the series as the episodes gradually unveil the intricate business and society schemes of George and Bertha Russell. Dazzling over-the-top balls and parties, gorgeous gowns, and elegant horses and carriages draw in viewers nationwide while Newporters try to spot familiar hometown locations as they appear on screen.

Hollywood often finds drama and intrigue in tales of Newport’s bygone era of gilded wealth and privilege, but today’s reality is more complex and compelling. Our community is economically, racially and ethnically diverse – and deeply interconnected.

In Newport today, the per capita income is slightly over $58,000 a year. Thirteen percent of the city’s residents live in poverty, above the 10% statewide average. A staggering 29% of children in Newport live below the poverty line. More than 10% of the city’s population currently speaks a language other than English. Black residents comprise 7.5% of the population, and nearly one out of 10 Newporters identify as Latino. Like nearly every community in Rhode Island, Newport grapples with the pivotal issues of our time, including housing, healthcare, education, foodinsecurity, broadband access, climate resiliency, and racial and economic diversity and equality.

While filming my latest documentary "Newport: In This Together," I was struck by Newporters’ commitment and generosity to their neighbors and city. During the pandemic, individuals, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, businesses, and governments innovated, adapted, and forged new and deeper connections to overcome the pandemic. Their collective response laid a foundation for a stronger Newport.

Moved by my 200-plus interviewees, I founded reNEWPORT, working with co-chair and community leader Ellen Pinnock, to promote greater cooperation and collaboration between nonprofit and business leaders, government officials and engaged citizens. Over the past few months, our group has met with key officials including Mayor Xay, Congressman Amo, Gov. McKee’s education advisor Jeremy Chiappetta, and Gov. Dan McKee.

Last fall, our group was able to bring together Newport in Bloom, the City of Newport, the Miantonomi Park Commission and private donors to plant a field of bulbs in the city’s underserved North End. This spring, 38,000 daffodils will bloom in Miantonomi Park. We will celebrate this burst of yellow with a community “Daffy Day in Miantonomi Park '' on Sunday, April 14. reNEWPORT is moving on now to help tackle the much bigger and important issue of chronic absenteeism in the public schools.

Four years ago, an unprecedented global pandemic shut down the world as we know it. In that time, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about ourselves, each other, and the very nature of community.

In the making of my film, I saw how deeply Newporters care about their community. When faced with a great threat, they pulled together, rather than apart. Not perfectly, of course, but they demonstrated a commitment to each other which belies the current popular belief that Americans live divided and uncaring, locked into silos. Newporters’ response to the pandemic showcased resilience and hope. They inspired me, and I hope that my film will inspire both local and national audiences to see beyond Newport’s facade to a more authentic, more gritty and more heartening reality.

Sue Sipprelle is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Tree of Life Productions. She produced and directed the award-winning films "Set for Life" and "Soldier On: Life After Deployment." Both documentaries are distributed by American Public Television and shown on public television stations nationwide. She is a member of New York Women in Film and Television, and she serves on the board of NewportFILM and the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. newportFILM will host a community screening of "NEWPORT: In This Together" on April 12 at the Jane Pickens Theater and American Public Television will release the film nationwide this May.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Guest View: In this together: Newport’s future age is now